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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Meet the Red Cross: Julia Richards

When it comes to building for the future, youth are priority No. 1. Which is why the Mile High Chapter has hired on Julia Richards as the Youth Programs Manager, a new position designed to get youth educated and involved in community service.

There are two primary focuses for Julia in 2013: starting up Red Cross Youth Clubs at schools, and continuing collaboration with the Denver Fire Department and the Denver Firefighters Museum to deliver “Simply Safe” messaging in Denver Public Schools. “Simply Safe” provides emergency responders an opportunity to present emergency preparedness information to more than 5,000 youth in DPS throughout the school year.

So why did Julia decide to join the Red Cross? She has her reasons: “One of the main reasons was the job itself,” says Richards. “The position of Regional Youth Programs Manager is a perfect fit for me. I have worked in the youth development field in a variety of roles throughout my career: volunteer, direct service provider, program manager, etc. [This position] offers a unique opportunity to build a program from the ground up.”

Julia has a lengthy record of service: she served as an Americorps volunteer in Missoula, MT, and as a Peace Corps volunteer in Azerbaijan. She will now be using her experience helping youth through those programs to reach some very distinct goals for the Red Cross in 2013.

“There are some very clear measures of success for this role,” says Richards. “Our main goal is to develop and implement four Red Cross Youth Clubs in Colorado by June 2013. Ultimately, we are trying to engage young people at an early age in the mission of the American Red Cross with the hope of not only creating life-long Red Cross volunteers, but also supporting young people as they develop a sense of civic responsibility and compassion for people who are in need of Red Cross services.”